Spending time in nature is known to help reduce stress in adults and older children. But does it have the same effect on babies? In addition, parents are known to help their babies stay calm through touch, smell and tone of voice. A baby carrier provides extra touch, but there is still little research on exactly how this works. Rheinheimer, now working as a psychologist for Arbeiterwohlfahrt Stade, investigated whether outdoor walking and a baby carrier affect babies‘ and mothers’ sleep and stress levels.
Indoors or outdoors, carry or pushchair?
For her study, 101 mothers visited the lab with their babies (0-5 months). To create a mild stress response, the mothers were first asked to change their baby’s nappy and give them a pretend bath. Afterwards, they were divided into four groups, each assigned a different activity: walking or staying indoors, using a baby carrier or a stroller. The researchers then measured sleep duration and the stress hormone cortisol in the saliva of both mothers and babies.Carrying lowers stress hormones in mother and baby
Carrying reduces stress hormones for mother and baby
Results show that walking outside and carrying with a baby carrier can help babies lower their stress hormones and improve sleep. Babies carried in a baby carrier had a stronger drop in cortisol than babies in a stroller. This was true both indoors and outdoors. Babies who had been outside slept longer than babies who stayed inside, regardless of whether they were in a baby carrier or stroller.
For mothers, the effect was different: mothers who stayed inside had a greater drop in cortisol than mothers who walked outside. As with babies, carrying in a baby carrier also had a stronger effect on stress reduction in mothers than using a stroller. Interestingly, mothers who stayed indoors became less alert, while mothers who walked outside maintained their alertness.
Want to know more about this study? Visit Nicole Rheinheimer's PhD defence on 17 February. More information can be found here.